Our story

Modern Education Family Childcare started in 2011 with one home and one provider, Auntie Siu. Today it is a family of independently run homes. Here are some of the milestones along the way.

1. 2011

   Auntie Siu becomes a licensed family child care provider

   After working as a full-time nanny, Auntie Siu becomes a licensed family child care provider on Victoria St in San Francisco. This is where our journey began.

2. 2014

   Our Sunset home opens

   Auntie Sally opens our home in the Outer Sunset, a few steps from Ocean Beach.

   Sunset

3. 2015

   Pyrena and Oscar open their own licensed home

   Pyrena and Oscar start their own licensed family child care program.

4. 2015

   Our Mission Bay home opens

   Our Mission Bay home opens, run by Auntie Siu.

   Mission Bay

5. Aug. 2015

   Learning about physical activity and nutrition

   Pyrena and Oscar attend a Healthy Apple workshop on physical activity at Children's Council of San Francisco.

6. 2016

   Our SoMa home opens

   Pyrena and Oscar move to Folsom, and our SoMa home opens near Folsom and 4th St.

   SoMa

7. 2016

   Sharon moves to our Ingleside Heights home

   Auntie Sharon moves her program to our Ingleside Heights home, where she cares for children until she moves to Hayes Valley.

8. 2018

   Ryan takes over our SoMa home

   Ryan becomes the provider at our SoMa home, and has run it since.

   SoMa

9. Sep. 2018

   A new home is planned in Portola

   We share plans for a new infant and toddler program in Portola, near the 280 and 101 freeways.

   Portola

10. Dec. 2019

    Sharon announces a move to Hayes Valley

    Auntie Sharon shares that she is relocating her program to Hayes Valley in December 2019.

    Hayes Valley

11. Jul. 2020

    Staying open for all families during COVID-19

    We tell families that our homes are open to everyone during the pandemic.

12. Jul. 8, 2020

    Pyrena's pandemic story in the press

    In 2020 and 2021, The Hechinger Report, EdSurge and The Imprint tell the story of keeping a family child care going through COVID-19, with Pyrena as one of the providers they speak with.

    Read The Imprint story

13. Oct. 9, 2020

    Named Provider of the Month by the Child Care Law Center

    The Child Care Law Center names Pyrena its October Provider of the Month and shares a video of her speaking about her leadership, in child care and in her community.

    See the video on Facebook

14. 2021

    Featured in PITC training videos

    Pyrena is interviewed in two PITC videos for educators, on small groups and on culturally responsive care in family child care. She speaks in Cantonese with English subtitles.

    See the videos and transcripts

15. Feb. 1, 2021

    Nature play with bamboo

    Pyrena is quoted by SF Children & Nature about bringing bamboo into her program for nature play and Lunar New Year, as bamboo from the SF Botanical Garden reaches family child care homes across the city.

    Read the post

16. Nov. 2021

    Rosie Kennedy Award

    Oscar receives the Rosie Kennedy Award from the California Family Child Care Networks for advocacy on language equity and for contributions to the Chinese family child care community.

17. Jan. 2022

    Featured by CalMatters during the Omicron surge

    CalMatters reports from our home as COVID closed it for 10 days. Pyrena and Oscar kept paying their assistant throughout.

    Read the CalMatters story

18. Oct. 7, 2023

    Healthy Apple Award, Bronze

    Modern Education Family Childcare Portola receives the Healthy Apple Award (Bronze level) for nutrition and physical activity.

    

    Portola

19. 2024

    Pyrena presents at the 2024 Festival of Learning

    Pyrena is a presenter at i3 Institute's 2024 Festival of Learning, leading an infant and toddler session in Cantonese and Mandarin, "Flowing Through Feelings".

    See the presenters list

20. May 16, 2024

    Honored among Children's Council's "50 at 50"

    Oscar and Pyrena are recognized among the Children's Council of San Francisco's "50 at 50" honorees.

    See the 50 at 50 honorees

21. May 30, 2024

    California Assembly recognition for Pyrena

    Assemblymember Matt Haney presents Pyrena with a Certificate of Recognition, the Cantonese and Mandarin Early Education Award, after she presented at the 2024 Festival of Learning.

    

    Portola

22. Jun. 3, 2024

    Preschools SHINE, Gold level

    The California Department of Social Services recognizes Modern Education Family Childcare - Portola as a Preschools SHINE site at the Gold level for nutrition and physical activity environments. The certificate is valid for four years.

    

    Portola

23. 2025

    Pyrena serves as a Certified Mentor Teacher

    Pyrena is a Certified Mentor Teacher in the California Early Childhood Mentor Program at City College of San Francisco (2025 to 2028).

    Portola

24. 2025

    Our photos appear in California's infant-toddler guides

    California's Infant-Toddler Learning and Development Foundations and its Framework thank ME Playschool, our Portola program, for infant and toddler photographs.

    Portola See the guides

25. Jan. 29, 2025

    Lunar New Year, in Home Grown Child Care

    Home Grown Child Care features Pyrena and Oscar on how their family honors Lunar New Year and the roots it connects them to.

    Read the article

26. May 8, 2025

    Pyrena spotlighted for AAPI Heritage Month

    The Child Care Law Center makes Pyrena its first AAPI Heritage Month spotlight, as a Chinese-English bilingual family child care educator, trainer, mentor and parent educator.

    See the post on Facebook

27. Nov. 17, 2025

    Pyrena recognized as a Neighborhood Hero

    ConnectedSF honors Pyrena as a Neighborhood Hero at its inaugural We Are Connected celebration.

    Watch the video

28. Feb. 28, 2026

    Lunar New Year at Ocean Ave with the Family Child Care Association

    Pyrena and Oscar, board members of the Family Child Care Association of San Francisco, join its booth at the Ocean Ave Lunar New Year Celebration.

    See the post on Facebook